Photo radar cameras catch dozens of Ottawa police cruisers over the summer

A photo radar camera in Ottawa. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service has received hundreds of speeding tickets so far this year, as the city's photo radar cameras catch police cruisers in school zones and community safety zones.

A report for the Ottawa Police Services Board shows officers received 180 speeding tickets through the automated speed enforcement camera program in the summer. Police also received 31 tickets for red light camera infractions in the July, August and September period.

"The key driver of the increase in Driving Related Internal Complaints is attributed to the number of Automated Speed Enforcement, which continues to rise with the implementation of more cameras throughout the City," staff say.

Through the first nine months of the year, the Ottawa Police Service has received 420 tickets for speeding through the automated speed enforcement camera program.  The service received 187 speeding tickets from the photo radar camera program in all of 2023.

Sixty-one tickets have been issued to police through the red light camera program so far in 2024. In 2023, police received 82 tickets for running red lights.

The report does not say how many tickets were issued to officers responding to emergency calls.

An internal complaint is initiated at the discretion of the chief of the Ottawa Police Service for allegations of misconduct or non-compliance, and may include driving-related matters such as red light camera and photo radar camera violations.

"In 2021, the OPS updated its process to deal with camera infractions to hold members accountable and apply progressive discipline when the threshold for exemption under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act is not met," the report says.

The officer is responsible for paying the fine if warranted, according to the service.

There are currently 40 photo radar cameras set up in community safety zones, school zones and high-speed locations across the city of Ottawa. The city plans to install 20 more cameras by the end of the year.

Driving complaints

The report shows there were 222 internal complaints for driving-related issues at the Ottawa Police Service over the summer, including red light camera and photo radar infractions.

Staff say there were 11 investigations into motor vehicle collisions involving officers over the summer.